News Broadcasting
Vivendi Universal reduces losses for last year
MUMBAI: France’s Vivendi Universal has anounced that it lost less money last year. It reported a net loss of 1.143 billion euros compared to a year-earlier loss of 23.3 billion euros.
The company’s chairman and CEO Jean Rene Fortou was quoted in a company release saying that the financial results for 2003 had exceeded its guidance.” We reduced our debt from approximately 35 billion euros to 11.6 billion euros. We divested approximately 10 billion euros worth of assets.
“Today, Vivendi Universal is in good working order. In 2003, Vivendi Universal invested 1.6 billion euros of capital expenditures in its core businesses.” As had been earlier reported by indiantelevision in October an agreement was signed by the company with General Electric to combine the assets of Vivendi Universal Entertainment and broadcast network NBC. This will give rise to a new entity NBC Universal. NBC Universal’s 2003 revenues are anticipated to exceed $13 billion. As part of the transaction, GE is expected to pay at closing $3.65 billion of cash consideration, of which Vivendi Universal would receive approximately $3.3 billion. Vivendi will have a 20 per cent stake in NBC Universal.
The 2003 adjusted net income for Vivendi Universal amounted to 349 million euros. This compares with a loss of 514 million euros in 2002. There was an increase of 1,432 million euros in the operating income segment.
Fortou added, ” Our main commitment was to improve considerably our operating cash flow and Vivendi Universal managers have focused successfully on this matter. As a result, our consolidated cash flow from operations grew 64 per cent in 2003 and our proportionate cash flow from operations increased almost four times over the previous year, on a pro forma basis.”
Fortou stated that for the first time in six years the Canal+ Group had recorded a positive operating income. Revenues from the French pay-TV operations, Canal+ Group’s core business, increased by six per cent to 2,813 million euros. Canal+ Group ended the year with nearly 8.1 million subscriptions to its Canal+ pay-TV offerings in France. On the flip side StudioCanal’s revenues went down by 23 per cent to 351 million euros. This is in line with the company¡¦s strategy to be more selective on its movie investments.
The Universal Music Group and Vivendi Universal Games are implementing a strong and determined reorganisation plan. Looking ahead to this year he said, “In 2004, I expect Vivendi Universal to deliver strong growth in its profit, to reach a level of debt below five billion euros at year end and be in a position to distribute dividends to its shareholders in 2005.
News Broadcasting
Network18 Q4 revenue grows 9.7 per cent, EBITDA at Rs 30 crore
PAT improves to Rs 306.6 crore, margins steady amid cost pressures.
MUMBAI: Not all news is breaking, some of it is quietly improving. Network18 Media & Investments Limited appears to be doing just that, tightening losses and stabilising margins even as costs continue to weigh on the business. For FY26, the company reported revenue from operations of Rs 1,955.1 crore, up from Rs 1,896.2 crore in FY25, signalling modest top-line growth in a challenging media environment. Total income stood at Rs 1,978.2 crore, compared to Rs 1,913 crore a year earlier.
Profit after tax came in at Rs 306.6 crore for the year, a sharp turnaround from Rs 3,225.4 crore in FY25, largely reflecting the absence of large exceptional items that had inflated the previous year’s numbers. On a more comparable basis, the company’s operating performance showed signs of gradual stabilisation.
However, the quarterly picture remained under pressure. For the March quarter, Network18 reported a loss of Rs 53.1 crore, narrower than the Rs 98.1 crore loss in the same period last year, but still indicative of ongoing cost challenges.
Expenses continued to track high. Total expenses for FY26 stood at Rs 2,235.7 crore, up from Rs 2,197.8 crore in FY25. Key cost heads included operational expenses of Rs 765.9 crore, employee benefits of Rs 475.9 crore, and marketing, distribution and promotional spends of Rs 427.1 crore, underlining the continued investment required to sustain reach and engagement.
At an operating level, margins remained under strain. Operating margin stood at 2.33 per cent for FY26, marginally higher than 1.77 per cent in FY25, while net profit margin remained negative at -13.02 per cent, though improved from -14.89 per cent.
On the balance sheet, total assets rose to Rs 8,957.6 crore as of 31 March 2026, from Rs 8,317.5 crore a year earlier. Equity strengthened to Rs 4,958.7 crore, while borrowings increased to Rs 3,112.8 crore, reflecting a higher reliance on debt to support operations.
Cash flows told a mixed story. While financing activities generated Rs 83.9 crore, operating cash flow remained negative at Rs -24 crore, highlighting ongoing pressure on core cash generation. Cash and cash equivalents, however, improved to Rs 33.9 crore from Rs 1.8 crore.
The numbers point to a company in transition growing revenues, trimming losses, but still grappling with structural cost pressures. In a sector where scale often comes at a price, Network18 seems to be inching towards balance, one quarter at a time.
